18 French Apartments Under 210 Square Feet
Tiny spaces are part of the fabric of architecture in France. See how home professionals leveraged their chic potential
Microflats in London and other big cities have been making the news as symptoms of ongoing housing crises around the world. But while these units are a new feature in some urban areas, they’ve been part of the architectural fabric of Paris for over a century.
Their predominance in France is thanks to Baron George-Eugène Haussmann’s mid-19th-century reconstruction of Paris. On the top floors of Haussmann’s new buildings — and others built on similar plans up to World War I — there were often chambres de bonne (maids’ rooms) that housed the domestic staff serving the families in the spacious apartments below. More than 100,000 are estimated to survive in Paris today. Revamped with new plumbing, chambres de bonne and other small apartments throughout France now serve as affordable accommodations for students, tourists and weekend commuters.
How do you turn such spaces into not only livable, but beautiful and even comfortable homes? We talked to the professionals behind some of Houzz France’s most inspiring tiny apartment renovations to find out. The converted chambres de bonne and other small spaces we’ve rounded up below all come in at under 210 square feet, and all mix impressive functionality with a big dose of style.
Their predominance in France is thanks to Baron George-Eugène Haussmann’s mid-19th-century reconstruction of Paris. On the top floors of Haussmann’s new buildings — and others built on similar plans up to World War I — there were often chambres de bonne (maids’ rooms) that housed the domestic staff serving the families in the spacious apartments below. More than 100,000 are estimated to survive in Paris today. Revamped with new plumbing, chambres de bonne and other small apartments throughout France now serve as affordable accommodations for students, tourists and weekend commuters.
How do you turn such spaces into not only livable, but beautiful and even comfortable homes? We talked to the professionals behind some of Houzz France’s most inspiring tiny apartment renovations to find out. The converted chambres de bonne and other small spaces we’ve rounded up below all come in at under 210 square feet, and all mix impressive functionality with a big dose of style.
Two 24-inch-wide modules house a stainless-steel sink and an induction cooktop. The countertop is 22 inches deep and the sink is 18 inches in diameter.
Overhead storage cabinets integrate a range hood and a niche for the microwave oven. On the right, the foldable table offers space for up to four diners: “Two on the bench, one at the end and another in the kitchen,” Graves says.
Overhead storage cabinets integrate a range hood and a niche for the microwave oven. On the right, the foldable table offers space for up to four diners: “Two on the bench, one at the end and another in the kitchen,” Graves says.
2. Paris, 130 square feet
“I wanted to put the bathroom in a kind of cabin in the studio. I worked with rounded forms to add some style. We installed an arched door leading to the bathroom,” says Nicolas Payet of Marn Déco.
“I wanted to put the bathroom in a kind of cabin in the studio. I worked with rounded forms to add some style. We installed an arched door leading to the bathroom,” says Nicolas Payet of Marn Déco.
“The kitchen backsplash and the bathroom sink also adopt markedly soft, rounded forms, like most of the decor and lights throughout the space,” Payet says.
3. Paris, 130 square feet
The owner “wanted to enter her pied-à-terre in Paris as if it were her own home and to shrug off her life outside, then proceed into the cocooned space behind the open divider. Differentiating the spaces was very important to her,” says Charlotte Astruc.
The owner “wanted to enter her pied-à-terre in Paris as if it were her own home and to shrug off her life outside, then proceed into the cocooned space behind the open divider. Differentiating the spaces was very important to her,” says Charlotte Astruc.
Inspired by ships’ cabins and train compartments, the dining area-office corner was carefully planned to avoid losing space. The seat incorporates storage for the duvet and pillow.
4. Paris, 140 square feet
“This large, seamless mirror gives the impression that there is another room. A colleague who visited the studio had previously used this kind of mirrored wall, and thought he could take it even further,” says Léo Berastegui of Miogui Architecture. “It is interesting to see how a feature this enormous, which was even difficult to get in — getting it into the stairwell was memorable — could disappear to create more space.”
“This large, seamless mirror gives the impression that there is another room. A colleague who visited the studio had previously used this kind of mirrored wall, and thought he could take it even further,” says Léo Berastegui of Miogui Architecture. “It is interesting to see how a feature this enormous, which was even difficult to get in — getting it into the stairwell was memorable — could disappear to create more space.”
“A 47-by-75-inch commercially available bed frame finished in Batipin [a pine plywood] folds very easily back into its alcove, without having to take off the duvet,” Berastegui says. “A little shelf inside the unit serves as a night table, equipped with sockets and a neon light. Below it are multiple storage units with tilting doors. In the top section, three cupboards offer shelves and a closet. The cupboard on the right conceals the electric meter and a niche that can be reached from the entrance, for setting down keys.”
5. Paris, 140 square feet
Aude Groshaeny of Décodage Création encouraged the owners of this apartment to use color to set off this the box containing all of the apartment’s functional components and add a little pep to the small space.
Aude Groshaeny of Décodage Création encouraged the owners of this apartment to use color to set off this the box containing all of the apartment’s functional components and add a little pep to the small space.
“They were partial to a palette of blue and green, and we had fun with these tones,” Groshaeny says.
6. Paris, 140 square feet
“We came up with the idea of a 55-by-75-inch bed that slides into the 15-inch wall unit. This way, the bed creates a 40-inch-deep banquette during the day, while aligning perfectly with the bathroom divider in the nighttime position,” says Nicolas Payet of Marn Déco.
“We came up with the idea of a 55-by-75-inch bed that slides into the 15-inch wall unit. This way, the bed creates a 40-inch-deep banquette during the day, while aligning perfectly with the bathroom divider in the nighttime position,” says Nicolas Payet of Marn Déco.
“We had a storage bench made to order out of oak veneer panels. The seat under the cushion opens on a hinge.”
7. Paris, 140 square feet
“The divider between the bathroom and the living room seemed central to me for regrouping the technical functions and freeing the space in the rest of the apartment,” says Aude Groshaeny of Décodage Création.
“The divider between the bathroom and the living room seemed central to me for regrouping the technical functions and freeing the space in the rest of the apartment,” says Aude Groshaeny of Décodage Création.
“The creation of all of the custom joinery moreover made it possible to transform the studio into a unique and personal place,” Groshaeny says.
8. Paris, 150 square feet
The kitchen was previously packed entirely into this apartment’s entrance. “The small size of this entrance made it impossible to include all of the kitchen features and integrate both a fridge and a washing machine,” says interior designer Marie-Sophie Donnedieu.
The kitchen was previously packed entirely into this apartment’s entrance. “The small size of this entrance made it impossible to include all of the kitchen features and integrate both a fridge and a washing machine,” says interior designer Marie-Sophie Donnedieu.
“We therefore extended the kitchen right up to the living room, with the two sections separated by a load-bearing wall. This made it possible to include a large countertop and maximum storage,” Donnedieu says.
9. Paris, 150 square feet
In 2014, designer Sarah Campet and her husband, engineer Olivier Taliani, devised a clever retractable system to double the functionality of a tiny bathroom. They applied it brilliantly in this 151-square-foot Parisian apartment.
In 2014, designer Sarah Campet and her husband, engineer Olivier Taliani, devised a clever retractable system to double the functionality of a tiny bathroom. They applied it brilliantly in this 151-square-foot Parisian apartment.
The trick is a wall that opens on a pivot and incorporates a sink in front and a shower behind.
10. Paris, 160 square feet
Despite a tight budget, every corner of this apartment was designed with a view to improving its functionality. The kitchen was extended — it had previously been limited to the space around the living room.
Despite a tight budget, every corner of this apartment was designed with a view to improving its functionality. The kitchen was extended — it had previously been limited to the space around the living room.
The period woodwork in the living room and the night area was removed in order to put in insulation. Instead of a fold-out sofa, Isabelle Le Rest chose a 53-inch-wide bed, which is more durable in a rental apartment. Its size also gives it a banquette feel, accentuated by plenty of cushions in cheerful colors.
11. Angers, 172 square feet
“When I discovered Nicolas [Véger]’s Cube Box, I fell in love with this concept and the design of this solution, which combines into a single module everything you need to outfit a studio: The bed, the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom, the office, the closet,” says homeowner Auguste Gréau.
“When I discovered Nicolas [Véger]’s Cube Box, I fell in love with this concept and the design of this solution, which combines into a single module everything you need to outfit a studio: The bed, the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom, the office, the closet,” says homeowner Auguste Gréau.
However, at 172 square feet of floor space — though with impressive 12-foot ceilings — this apartment was too small for the unit. Nicolas Véger of Very Good Box therefore pointed them to a second model, the Mini Box, designed for 108- to 215-square-foot spaces. At the time, he had only created a single prototype of this model. After a complete 3D drawing, the owners agreed to jump into the adventure of being the first to own a Mini Box.
“It is robust and reliable, made in France out of pine from Landes,” in the southwest of France, Monnain says.
13. Volcans d’Auvergne National park, Mont-Dore ski station, 194 square feet
“The idea the owners selected was the one that privileged nighttime comfort with a snug alcove, while leaving space for a kitchenette and a mini living-room corner,” says Laura Levadoux.
“The idea the owners selected was the one that privileged nighttime comfort with a snug alcove, while leaving space for a kitchenette and a mini living-room corner,” says Laura Levadoux.
14. Bordeaux, 194 square feet
“To make a small space livable, there needs to be places to store everything, including garbage bins, and the vacuum cleaner,“ says Lauren Havel.
“To make a small space livable, there needs to be places to store everything, including garbage bins, and the vacuum cleaner,“ says Lauren Havel.
“A single unit unfurls like a ribbon around the space, encompassing the whole entrance, the kitchen, a banquette, the staircase supports, the TV unit and the office,” Havel says.
15. Paris, 194 square feet
“I played along with a proposal to renovate what was there to the agreed budget, but I also risked presenting a second, more ambitious proposal, which bet on originality in design and tried to respond to all of [the owner’s] needs: a furniture structure separates the kitchen and a stationary bedroom corner, and conceals loads of storage,” says Laura Loustau.
“I played along with a proposal to renovate what was there to the agreed budget, but I also risked presenting a second, more ambitious proposal, which bet on originality in design and tried to respond to all of [the owner’s] needs: a furniture structure separates the kitchen and a stationary bedroom corner, and conceals loads of storage,” says Laura Loustau.
“The toilet room turned into a bathroom and there was still 108 square feet left over for the living room,” Loustau says.
16. Paris, 205 square feet
“We created a mezzanine over the entrance out of wood, with a minimum floor thickness of 4 inches. With a 6-inch-thick mattress, there is a yard left over above the bed, enough to sit up comfortably,” says Margaux Carnevali of Neva Architecture Intérieure.
“We created a mezzanine over the entrance out of wood, with a minimum floor thickness of 4 inches. With a 6-inch-thick mattress, there is a yard left over above the bed, enough to sit up comfortably,” says Margaux Carnevali of Neva Architecture Intérieure.
Under the mezzanine is a 5-by-5-foot bathroom, with a 7-foot ceiling height. Carnevali was able to fit in a suspended toilet with storage overtop, a real sink, a shower and a washing machine.
17. Paris, 205 square feet
“I went for the option of a central box enclosing the bathroom, with the kitchen unrolling around it,” says Lara Grand.
“I went for the option of a central box enclosing the bathroom, with the kitchen unrolling around it,” says Lara Grand.
“The hallway recreated by this partition was placed behind it, on the darker side. We optimized it with loads of storage space that can be accessed from three sides: the entrance, the bathroom and the bedroom, Grand says.
18. Paris, 205 square feet
“We opened up the kitchen space and envisioned a bedroom corner in the mezzanine, placed as high as possible (at 8 feet) to pass comfortably overtop and to fit the dining corner underneath,” says Margaux Carnevali of Neva Architecture Intérieure. “Because of the window, it was impossible to make the mezzanine extend all the way from one side of the room to the other. … We therefore adapted its dimensions to a 55-by-78-inch bed. So we wouldn’t lose space at the foot of the mezzanine, we replaced the ceiling on the kitchen side to avoid the window, but in this way we also created a niche that is accessible from the bed.”
“We opened up the kitchen space and envisioned a bedroom corner in the mezzanine, placed as high as possible (at 8 feet) to pass comfortably overtop and to fit the dining corner underneath,” says Margaux Carnevali of Neva Architecture Intérieure. “Because of the window, it was impossible to make the mezzanine extend all the way from one side of the room to the other. … We therefore adapted its dimensions to a 55-by-78-inch bed. So we wouldn’t lose space at the foot of the mezzanine, we replaced the ceiling on the kitchen side to avoid the window, but in this way we also created a niche that is accessible from the bed.”
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“I put the bed by the window to redraw the space at right angles and make it easier to forget the unpleasant geometry. My idea was to design a ‘chill out’ zone based on the habits of young people, who like to live lying down and no longer necessarily work at their desks,” says Sophie Graves of HomebOxcreation.
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